A nationwide recall has been issued for the Rana brand Tagliatelle Seasoned White Chicken & Mushroom Sauce due to possible listeria contamination.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says consumers should not use, sell, serve or distribute the recalled product.
The ready-to-serve pasta dish is sold in several big grocery stores across Canada, including Costco, Walmart, Loblaws retailers such as Real Canadian Superstore and No Frills.
The recall involves packages weighing 1.14 kg and with best before dates of Oct. 10 up to and including Nov. 16.
The CFIA said the recall in Canada was triggered by a recall in another country.
It says there have been no reported illnesses associated with the recalled product, which the agency says consumers should throw out or return.
The food inspection agency says food contaminated with listeria monocytogenes may not look or smell spoiled but can still make people sick, especially pregnant women, the elderly and those with a weakened immune system.
Symptoms can include vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness.
The agency says anyone who might have become sick after eating the recalled product should contact their health-care provider. More details can be found on the CFIA website.
The Listeria bacterium is found in soil, sewage and untreated water. It can also be found in foods such as meat, seafood, fruits, vegetables and dairy products.
Listeria can get into fruits and vegetables if contaminated water is used on crops. They can also become contaminated from Listeria in soil and manure-based fertilizers.
Food manufacturing and processing facilities can also spread the bacteria if contaminated water or contaminated ingredients are used there, Health Canada says.
McMaster University microbiologist Lori Burrows says Listeria can also get into food or liquids if surfaces or equipment in processing plants aren’t sufficiently disinfected.
Listeriosis is an illness caused by consumption of Listeria-contaminated food or water.
It can also be passed from mother to baby during pregnancy.
The illness can also spread through contact with infected animals, but it’s generally not spread between people, public health officials say.
Listeriosis can cause vomiting, nausea, persistent fever, muscle aches, severe headache and neck stiffness.
Symptoms of severe listeriosis may appear up to 70 days after you have been exposed to Listeria. In severe cases, the infection can be fatal.
People with weakened immune systems, adults over the age of 60 and pregnant women – including their fetus or newborn baby – are at heightened risk of listeriosis complications, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
